Function #41: Sync Associated Subforms!

Function #41: Sync Associated Subforms!



Welcome back everyone!

The last custom function showed how to update a Contact with Product details from it's Related list in Deals. This week, let's look at a function that lets you update subform records in two modules simultaneously when one of them is updated.

Business scenario

Let's look at how subform helps in an education institution that has deployed Zoho CRM. National Public School, Austin (made up, of course!) has set up Zoho CRM and it follows the same relationship pattern of "Students", "Teachers", "Courses", "Timings"(assume that the said names are Modules in the CRM). Let's say there are 10 students, 3 teachers, 6 classes and 8 hours per day. All these are all interlinked.

Sales data is no different. They are often updated in different modules, such as "Contacts", "Deals", "Products", etc. Hence, it becomes necessary to have many-to-many record associations.Subforms in Zoho CRM helps enable association of multiple data records across modules.

The function for this week lets users sync two subforms in the Accounts module, such that if one subform is updated, the other one gets updated too. Let's say there are two branches for a particular organization. Instead of having the entire organization's info in a single Account record, it's smarter to create multiple Accounts for branches. Hence, you need to associate the Main branch with a sub-branch as well as the sub-branches themselves.

In this function, assume 2 Accounts records, A and B, have subforms each. Every time a row (Account B) is added to subform on account A, the function adds a new subform row (Account A) to the subform on Account B. In other words, when a new branch is opened, the records of the main branch and the other branches are updated. In addition, the information about the rest of the branches are updated in the subform under the new branch.

Getting started with the custom function

  1. Go to Setup > Automation > Actions > Functions > Configure Function > Write your own.
  2. Provide a name for the function. For example: "Auto-Subform updates". Add a description (optional).
  3. Copy the code given below.
  4. Click “Edit arguments”.
  5. Enter the name as “acctId” and select the value as “Account Id”.
  6. Click Save&Execute Script to check the code.
  7. Save the function.

The Code:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

acctDetails = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Accounts", input.acctId.toLong());
subformDetails = ifnull(acctDetails.get("Related_Accounts"),"");
count = 1;
sub_forms = List();
for each form in subformDetails
{
if ( count == 1)
{
formacctname = form.get("Related_Account").get("name");
formacctId = form.get("Related_Account").get("id");
info "formacctId:" +formacctId ;
formaccttype = ifnull(form.get("Related_Account_Type"),"");
formacctdesc = ifnull(form.get("Description"),"");
subform = Map();
subform.put("Related_Account",input.acctId);
sub_forms.add(subform);
}
count = count + 1;
}
formacctDetails = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Accounts", formacctId.toLong());
formsubformDetails = ifnull(formacctDetails.get("Related_Accounts"),"");
for each forms in formsubformDetails
{
info "formsId:" + forms.get("Related_Account").get("id");
subform1 = map();
subform1.put("Related_Account",forms.get("Related_Account").get("id"));
subform1.put("Related_Account_Type", ifnull(forms.get("Related_Account_Type"),""));
subform1.put("Description",ifnull(forms.get("Description"),""));
sub_forms.add(subform1);
}
parammap = Map();
parammap.put("Related_Accounts",sub_forms);
update = zoho.crm.update("Accounts",formacctId.toLong(),parammap);
info parammap;
info update;

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note:

  • The code given above works only for V2 version of Zoho APIs. Please note that the code WILL NOT work for Version 1.0 APIs.
  • Use the function in a Workflow Rule, to automate the process of update.

Found this useful? Try it out and let me know how it works! If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask! Share this with your team if you find it useful. Do check out other custom functions shared in this series here.

See you all next week with another interesting custom function. Ciao!


    • Sticky Posts

    • Function #41: Sync Associated Subforms!

      Welcome back everyone! The last custom function showed how to update a Contact with Product details from it's Related list in Deals. This week, let's look at a function that lets you update subform records in two modules simultaneously when one of them is updated. Business scenario Let's look at how subform helps in an education institution that has deployed Zoho CRM. National Public School, Austin (made up, of course!) has set up Zoho CRM and it follows the same relationship pattern of "Students",

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • open word file in zoho writer desktop version

        "How can I open a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) file in Zoho Writer if I only have the file saved on my computer and Zoho Writer doesn't appear as an option when I try 'Open with'? Is there a way to directly open the .doc file in Zoho Writer?"

      • Zoho PDF editor has a lot of issues.

        Zoho PDF editor needs a lot of work. It hangs and glitches a lot. Deletes annotations and clearings randomly.

      • Syncing contacts on Android

        I'm using the Zoho mail app on Android and although I can see my contacts from within the app, they're not synced to my native contact list and so I can't access them from within the native dialer. Is there any way that I can sync my contacts into my native address book? Regards, Martin

      • Zohom mail

        Plz resolve the problem . I hope u understand .

      • Zoho sheet desktop version

        Hi Zoho team Where can I access desktop version of zoho sheets? It is important as web version is slow and requires one to be online all the time to do even basic work. If it is available, please guide me to the same.

      • ZOHO SHEETS

        Where can I access desktop version of zoho sheets? It is important to do basic work If it is available, please guide me to the same

      • Using Zoho Flow to create sales orders from won deal in Zoho CRM

        Hi there, We are using Zoho Flow to create sales orders automatically when a deal is won in Zoho CRM. However, the sales order requires "Product Details" to be passed in "jsonobject", and is resulting in this error: Zoho CRM says "Invalid input for invalid

      • Is Zoho Sheet available for Linux ?

        Is Zoho Sheet available for Linux ?

      • Bharat

        a

      • how to disable staff selection Zoho Booking integrated to SalesIQ?

        currently there is only one Consultant in my Zoho Bookings like this I integrate Zoho Bookings into Zoho SalesIQ to create a chatbot. Unfortunately, even though I only have one consultant for a consultation, the user have to pick the consultant. It will

      • Zoho Bookings No Sync with Outlook

        Zoho Bookings appointments are showing on my Outlook Calendar but Outlook events are not showing on Zoho Bookings. How do I fix this?

      • End Date in Zoho Bookings

        When I give my appointments a 30 minutes time I would expect the software not to even show the End Time.  But it actually makes the user pick an End Time.  Did I just miss a setting?  

      • Custom confirmation message

        How can I change the message that users see after they submit the booking form? I have to confirm some details before their appointment is officially "confirmed", so I want to change it where it doesn't say their appointment is "confirmed" but rather

      • Issue showing too many consultations in my workspace link.

        Hi Team, I’ve set up two Workspaces to track meetings from different sources. So far, this has been working well, and the two Workspaces are differentiated without any issues. However, when I navigate to Consultations and share the link to my personal

      • Deluge sendmail in Zoho Desk schedule can't send email from a verified email address

        I am trying to add a scheduled action with ZDesk using a Deluge function that sends a weekly email to specific ticket client contacts I've already verified the email address for use in ZDesk, but sendmail won't allow it in its "from:" clause. I've attached

      • unblock e-mail

        please unblock my e-mails info@meatnews.gr and myrtokaterini@meatnews.gr

      • Changing Corporate Structure - How Best to Adapt Current and Future Zoho Instances

        My current company is Company A LLC with a dba ("doing business as" - essentially an alias) Product Name B. Basically, Company A is the legal entity and Product Name B is what customers see, but it's all one business right now. We currently have a Zoho

      • How to Install Zoho Workdrive Desktop Sync for Ubuntu?

        Hi. I am newbie to Linux / Ubuntu. I downloaded a tar.gz file from Workdrive for installing the Workdrive Desktop Sync tool. Can someone give me step by step guide on how to install this on Ubuntu? I am using Ubuntu 19.04. Regards Senthil

      • How to upload own video?

        How can you upload your own video on your zoho website? I do not want to use another host, but i want to insert my own files. how can i do this?

      • Support new line in CRM Multiline text field display in Zoho Deluge

        Hi brainstrust, We have a Zoho CRM field which is a Muti Line (Small) field. It has data in it that has a carriage return after each line: When I pull that data in via Deluge, it displays as: I'm hoping a way I can change it from: Freehand : ENABLED Chenille

      • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.32.5.0)

        Hello Community! Trident for Windows just got better! This update includes new features designed to improve and simplify email and calendar management—and it includes a feature you’ve been waiting for. Let’s dive into what’s new! Save emails in EML or

      • How to render either thumbnail_url or preview_url or preview_data_url

        I get 401 Unauthorised when using these urls in the <img> tag src attribute. Guide me on how to use them!

      • Zoho CRM Calendar | Custom Buttons

        I'm working with my sales team to make our scheduling process easier for our team. We primary rely on Zoho CRM calendar to organize our events for our sales team. I was wondering if there is a way to add custom button in the Calendar view on events/meeting

      • Create Lead Button in Zoho CRM Dashboard

        Right now to create Leads in the CRM our team is going into the Lead module, selecting the "Create Lead" button, then building out the lead. Is there anyway to add the "Create Lead" button or some sort of short cut to the Zoho CRM Dashboard to cut out

      • Searching customer field

        Hello, When entering a receipt, we select customer information. The customer information is synced with Zoho CRM. However, we can't find the customer information because it searches for words that begin with the entered value. It needs to search for words

      • Introducing Version-3 APIs - Explore New APIs & Enhancements

        Happy to announce the release of Version 3 (V3) APIs with an easy to use interface, new APIs, and more examples to help you understand and access the APIs better. V3 APIs can be accessed through our new link, where you can explore our complete documentation,

      • Outgoing blocked: Unusual activity detected.

        Hello i can't send email from g.morris@adm-part.com mail, can you please help me.

      • Zoho CRM Tracking Google Enhanced Conversions

        Can anyone @Zoho, consultants, or users help me understand if Zoho CRM is going to support Google's Enhanced Conversions? I included some information from Google below about it. We use Google Adwords for our pay per click advertising for lead generation,

      • Billing Management: #5 Usage Billing

        After understanding the nuances of Advance Billing and Retainers, we will explore one of the booming billing models. Long ago, villagers drew water from a shared well in a small village. The well was a lifeline for the entire community. Ravi, the well

      • Function #10: Update item prices automatically based on the last transaction created

        In businesses, item prices are not always fixed and can fluctuate due to various factors. If you find yourself manually adjusting the item rates every time they change, we have the ideal time-saving solution for you. In today's post, we bring you custom

      • Inventory Adjustments

        Hi, How to transfer the material from one head to another ? Like materials purchased for manufacturing the laptop need to transfer from consumption inventory (Quantity of raw materials reduced) to destination inventory ( Quantity of Laptop increased)

      • Zoho CRM Community Digest - August 2025 | Part 1

        Hey everyone! The first half of August went by, and we have a few announcements and some good noteworthy discussions. So, let's take a look at them! Product Updates: Introducing Connected Records feature: Zoho CRM’s Next-Gen UI now includes Connected

      • Please make it easier to Pause syncing

        right now it takes 3 clicks to get there. sounds silly, but can you make it just 2 clicks to get it done instead? thats how dropbox does it, 2 clicks to pause instead of 3.

      • How to create a Zoho CRM report with 2 child modules

        Hi all, Is it possible to create a Zoho CRM report or chart with 2 child modules? After I add the first child module, the + button only adds another parent module. It won't let me add multiple child modules at once. We don't have Zoho Analytics and would

      • How to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM on Standard Plan

        Hello Zoho Support Team, I am using the Standard Zoho Forms plan (USD 30/user) and I would like to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM so that certain fields in my forms can be automatically prefilled using data from Deals in CRM. Specifically, I want

      • Export PDF File Name

        Is it possible to change the default Zoho .pdf naming scheme for inventory items like quotations? Would like to use the the Subject as the default quote name. Is this possible?

      • How to change the from address from 'no reply' for an email template in CRM

        Hi, We have our CRM set up with the from field as sales@XXX. I have just created a series of email templates and sent a test and they are sending from noreply@zoho I have tried searching for how to change the email template but don't have the options

      • Zoho CRM Client Script - SetCriteria in lookup Field

        Hello All One More Zoho CRM Client Script Tips & Trick. Now you can Set the Criteria on Your lookup in zoho CRM, It Comes With a Create Page, Edit Page, and Details Page (Standard). Example:- We have a Room Module that includes Room Name, Status, Campus,

      • Kaizen #71 - Client Script ZDKs for Detail (Canvas) Page

        Hello everyone! Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss Client Script ZDKs support for Detail (Canvas) Page. What is Detail (Canvas) Page? A Detail(Canvas) Page allows you to customize the record detail page to your

      • Zoho Reports Duplicating Entries

        I have a custom costing tab with a table where we entre invoices. These are under a Heading (PO Subject) and notes added in the form with different line items. In the reports, I have organised the report to group per PO Subject, with the total of the

      • Next Page